some people

I fixed my parents' computers and home network thing finally. Took another two hours on the phone and lots of frustration. This is why I refuse to work with computers professionally. While I was doing that, there was a meeting on their neighbor's lawn to plan an upcoming block party; it looked like a diversity add. I grew up on an amazing block. Starting from the corner on our side of the street it was Indian (non-Hindu or Muslim but I don't remember what they are), Jew, Catholic, Indian Hindu, three white Christian of some form houses in a row, African (as in the parents were from Africa...Malawi, I think...but the kids were all born here), and black. Other side of the street had a few more Jews (including one interfaith-marriage with an adopted kid), one strict Catholic family, a cranky really old white lady who never left her house, maybe two other white families, and two more black families. No Hispanics and the only far-east Asian was an adopted Chinese girl, but not bad for a single suburban block.

And while we're on the subject, the daughter in the Indian Hindu family has been one of my sister's best friends since they were little and we've been family friends (or at least family friendly) for at least 15 years, but we'd never done a read dinner with just the two families. Until last night. The cousin (who's three years older than me and lived with them since he was 14 until just a few years ago) and his wife came, too, which was nice because I really like them and it meant I had peers. We went to a tapas restaurant (I think it was my sister and/or her friend's idea) because the parents and the cousin-in-law are vegetarians. Everything was delicious and I went home so stuffed I was still too full to eat anything this morning before my class.

Which brings us to my improv class. I wish I could get better faster. I'm very critical (I know, big shocker) of everyone but even more critical of myself. Like the scenes I was in that crashed and burned. We were supposed to be working on focus and making it obvious where it should be and taking and giving it and stuff. The first exercise that bombed was largely because I thought the focus was supposed to be on the person instead of the situation so I was trying really hard to do the wrong things and just wound up confusing myself and everybody. But the other big problem in both of them was another member of my class. She was really annoying me, particularly in the scene where she just wouldn't give up the focus and was just being loud and dumb and making noise without anything behind it. I came up with ways I could have helped her out or maybe forced certain controls over the scene, but not until after the whole thing was over. There really are just a few people who are like black holes, sucking the life out of whatever scene they are in. Sometimes the people in the class who are really good can compensate for them and I want to be able to do that, too, and to be a "really good person," but I think I'm firmly in the averages. I mean, I tend to do well in games that require coming up with words and stories or anything where you have to mirror and mimic someone else's actions, but I feel hyper-cerebral and tragically unfunny much of the time.

After class we went to a food and drink establishment with amazing salads. I'm not a salad person, but this thing was truly awesome. Avocado, artichoke hearts, fresh mozzarella, hearts of palm, cucumber, tomato, and romaine (which there was less of than probably any other ingredient) tossed with a yummy dressing. I ate half and was stuffed, leaving the other half for leftovers. It was wonderful.
BB requested $3 back from what he put into the bill. We all tend to be very casual about a few bucks here and there and frequently share dishes and buy eachother drinks. And BB stood there and waited while we went searching for the last dollar change.

I was going to meet up with people later on tonight but instead I crashed and watched tv and snuggled the dog and filled out another employment thingy online. I think it was the right choice, especially since the festivities were going to happen out in the suburbs so I would have had to have driven all the way out and then not partake in the potables.

For being unemployed, I am way too busy.